BY KHADIJA BATUTA

On Mar. 30, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed into law a bill establishing the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District, the City’s sixty-fourth BID and the twentieth established under the Bloomberg administration – the most established by a mayor in the city’s history.  NYC Council Members David Weprin, Al Vann, Leticia James and Domenic Recchia sponsored the bill.

The Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of north central Brooklyn, has a diverse mix of over 300 retail businesses and, according to the mayor, is one of the busiest commercial hubs in Brooklyn.

“I would like to thank the Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Rob Walsh and his staff for their role in establishing this BID.  I also want to acknowledge the important contributions of the members of the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Steering Committee and the City Council,” said the mayor at the bill signing ceremony (pictured above).

"We were delighted to assist the merchants and property owners in organizing themselves to take advantage of the benefits that business improvement districts provide, and we are gratified by the amount of leadership that local businesses have stepped forward to provide in shaping the future of their commercial corridors," said Colvin Grannum, president and CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which provided staff to the Steering Committee.

The new BID includes properties lining the north and south sides of Fulton St., from the east side of Classon Ave. to the west side of Albany Ave.; plus, properties lining the north side of Fulton St. from the east side of Albany Ave. to the west side of Marcus Garvey Blvd.; properties lining the south side of Fulton St. from the east side of Albany Ave. to the west side of Troy/Lewis avenues; and properties lining the east and west sides of Nostrand Ave., from the south side of Halsey St. to the north side of Atlantic Ave.

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), overseen by the NYC Department of Small Business Services, are voluntarily formed community organizations that are self-funded by local property owners.

The Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, the twenty-first in the borough, has an operating budget of $675,000, which will support the retail businesses and improve quality of life for locals by providing cleaning, marketing, security and other services.  The BID is expected to formally launch sometime this summer.

Photo courtesy of the Office of the Mayor